RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- It's the simplest of household tasks that sometimes become the most daunting.

But thanks to volunteers at Hillside Handymen, those pesky home repairs for many residents have quickly become a thing of the past.

The Handymen are a part of Hillside Community Church's men's ministry, which is composed of both skilled and non-skilled craftsmen who use their talents and time to help residents with household repairs.

They're in the business of donating their time and labor to serve widows, single parents, the elderly and families with serious illnesses who are unable to take care of minor fixes and repairs to their homes.

"You know single dads need just as much help as single moms," said Steve Russo of Rancho Cucamonga.

"It's not a matter of not knowing how to do it, I just don't have time. As a single parent you're busy enough running from morning to night."

After months of staring at his back fence that was blown down, Russo approached the ministry seeking help.

"I was aware of what they were doing, but my male ego got in the way. But then I said, `This is ridiculous,"' he said.

Since 2005, the Handymen have been dedicated to helping friends and families of the church.

It started when a brother- in-law of one of the church members had a debilitating medical condition that prevented him from working around his home or in his garden. Some of the church-goers learned of this and didn't hesitate to help.

"There was a need for our church members, and not just families but maybe single families, and then it just evolved to the charter it is today," said Rich LaBarge, the co-leader of the group.

There are 15 other co-leaders that help organize and run the ministry. In total, there are 80 Handymen on their ministry roster.

Those who need work on their home must apply at www.HillsideHandymen.com, and from there the work is divided among the men of the group.

Due to liability issues, the group cannot perform any repairs at apartments.

Homeowners must pay for the materials, but the Handymen donate their time, tools, labor and skills, LaBarge said.

There are four "fix-it days" a year, or one a quarter.

Those days are usually announced in the church's bulletin and on the church website, LaBarge said.

The Friday before the "fix-it day," a couple men are sent out to assess what work needs to be done. From there, teams are assigned to homes, depending on the need.

The men have helped at homes in Pomona, Claremont, Upland, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Norco and Crestline.

"We concentrate on fellowship with each other being accountable, productive and utilizing our skills to help others through our talents and spiritual gifts," La Barge said.

For Fontana resident Sara Sahagun, the Handymen were a blessing after her husband died in March 2011.

Following her husband's death, Sahagun had to short- sell her home, give up two German shepherds, attend 11 funerals that year, and her income was cut in half, she said.

The father of one of her son's friends - who is an electrician and member of the Hillside ministry - helped install a ceiling fan at her new house. He told her about the group, what they did and encouraged her to apply online if she had other repairs.

"My husband was a handyman, I was so clueless," she said. "You don't realize how much your spouse does until they're not there."

Three Handymen visited her home on Nov. 10 for about six hours, repairing her son's sliding closet door, outdoor lights, sprinkler heads, installing a new faucet and ceiling fan and assembling a chair.

"They were laughing at me because I was so excited to get these things done," Sahagun said. "They didn't just do the work and leave. They prayed with me before they left and talked to me about what happened."

The Handymen were also instrumental in completing the interior portion the Whittier Worship Center at the Thousand Pines Church Camp in Crestline.

A church in Whittier donated funds to help build the center. Construction began in 2010 but then 80 mph winds blew the building down.

The camp needed $175,000 to fix the building, and had only $100,000 on hand for raw materials.

That's when the Hillside men stepped in.

"It was a huge blessing for us because we didn't have the money on hand to finish the building all at once," said Steve Garcia, the director of Thousand Pines.

Forty men helped in re-framing the interior of the 48,000- square-foot building, and in the installation of plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and finished carpentry.

The Handymen began the project last fall and it was completed in mid-November.

To help with the travel, Garcia gave the men gas cards as a "Thank you."

"Their hearts are in that they really want to be serving people and even though a lot of them are out of work or unemployed, they were out there serving for free," Garcia said.